Eternal Chronicles
by The Aseliologists
Summary: Two worlds. Two eras. Two journeys. In the midst of their different adventures, the Heroes of Eternity and the Heroes of Regeneration cross paths. When the goals of the two groups intertwine, they must work together to save both the past and the future.
1. C01: Beginnings in Triet

**Ayame:** Hello everyone, and welcome to Eternal Chronicles! Which will soon be the number one Phantasia and Symphonia crossover! With your hosts... Ayame! And~

**Kazea:** Kazea~ It's an honor to have you all he—wait... Ack, you got me doing it too! Ayame, we sound like Zelos and Jade on Viva! Tales of…

**Ayame:** You're not supposed to say anything~ We _are_ sorta like hosts, after all. ...Okay, writers. Hm, maybe I should've used that instead. Anyway~ This is our crossover. Kazea, explain!

**Kazea:** ...Now I'm _Guy_? Sheesh. _*shakes head*_ Well, thank you for taking the time to view our story! This little idea was born when one obsessive fan met another! We realized that there was a way to actually do a crossover that would unfold into an excellent tale if written by two minds such as ours... You may refer me as the leader of the Symphonia Cast in this story, as I write all of their viewpoints and chapters.

**Ayame:** And I'm the head of the Phantasia cast~ I write their chapters and stuff.

**Kazea:** You could call us, as our joint penname implies, the biggest fans of the Tales games in the Aselia timeline. We're big Tales fans in general of course.

**Ayame:** That's right~ For those who couldn't guess, my favorite game is Phantasia and Kazea's is Symphonia. Speaking of! We didn't introduce ourselves appropriately. See, this is why we should've done the Viva! Tales of thing properly _/ok_

**Kazea:** _*sweatdrop*_ Fine, fine... We'll steal Jade's and Zelos' jobs in the next chapter-even at the risk of being pelted by magic.

**Ayame:** We still need to do introductions in this one! I'll start~ I'm the super-cool Ayame Majikku! Perhaps you know me from the largest story in the Phantasia section and its sequel: Teishi ni Hikkakamasu and Syukuzen no Teishi. Or perhaps you know me from my Archester story that people like even better than that, Two Hours. Or perhaps you don't know me at all and are wondering why I'm still talking T.T' But either way, I hope you enjoy my Phantasia chapters! I'm going to do my best on them!

**Kazea:** ...I'm Kazea Tetsujen. I don't...have any stories worth mentioning because I'm still new and don't have stories with hundreds of reviews like Ayame. u_u;; I've written a couple of stories in the Symphonia section, and one for Ayame's birthday in the Phantasia section. I'm the proud creator of Ratatosk's missing six Centurions, who are highlighted in both Syukuzen no Teishi—Ayame's story—and Cyclone Scourge which is written by me about Centurion Ventus... But, you people probably don't care about this stuff and are waiting for this author's notice to end. Still, I hope my Symphonia chapters can live up to your standards if anything.

**Ayame:** Your stories are still awesome, and you have a great grasp on the Symphonia characters~ Speaking of, chapter 1's a _Symphonia Side_ chapter, so~ Please enjoy, everyone!

**Kazea:** Heh, thank you Ayame. ^^ On that note, I _am_ the author of this first chapter. I hope it is enjoyable!

**Disclaimer: We don't own the Tales series. ...Yet. One day we shall both work at Namco! (Though on opposite sides of the sea). But for now, enjoy our fan work.**

**Ayame and Kazea:** Jikai made!(Until next time!)

* * *

The desert sun was proving to be more brutal than any monster prowling it as two travelers continued to cross the ocean of scorching sand. It had been a rough morning on the both of them and the large oddity of a dog that had accompanied them as a companion. They were searching for their friend Colette—the Chosen of Regeneration and the one with the entire world of Sylvarant's eyes on at this time.

"Ah, over there," Genis said to his older friend as they stopped walking, the silver haired boy pulling his face out of a map to gesture at a town less than half a mile away. "That's Triet over there. Guess those people at the House of Salvation were giving us good directions after all."

When nothing came back in response he flicked his cobalt gaze up at Lloyd, shrugging his shoulders when he noted the seventeen year-old reading the same letter he'd received from Colette for about the seventh time today. For anyone that knew the dual-swordsmen well, one may have debated that it was the most he'd ever read anything in his entire life.

"Lloyd, reading that much might overload your brain… Give it a rest already!"

Lloyd didn't appear to hear his comment. He was far too enthralled with the neatly written letter in his hand. Every word on the page seemed to know the exact way to punch him in the gut until it hurt absolutely _everywhere_. Since leaving Iselia—banished as a result of the mayor believing him to be the reason Desians had burnt it to the ground—he had not only dragged along Genis with him, he had also been left behind by Colette as well.

He wasn't upset with her really. He understood why she'd done it. Even so it wasn't failing in making him feel awful. He groaned under his breath and caught himself rereading the text yet again.

_Dear Lloyd,_

_By the time you read this, I will have already left on my journey. I'm sorry_

_for lying to you. The world regeneration journey is full of peril—many Chosens_

_have failed. I care about you too deeply to let you get involved. I'm going to_

_do my best to stop the monsters and the Desians, so I want you to live a happy_

_and peaceful life in the regenerated world. Thank you so much for your_

_friendship and kindness all these years. I'm really lucky to have met you._

_Farewell,_

_Colette_

"_Why,"_ he thought, gripping the paper unknowingly tighter. _"Why did you leave without us, Colette? We…we promised we'd go together. I promised I'd protect you."_

"Lloyd!"

His attention was yanked out of his mind and back into the real world. He glanced to the side at Genis' half irritated and half worried expression, Noishe behind him tilting his head curiously. The warrior folded up the letter, carefully pocketing it away as he ran a gloved hand through his brown hair apologetically. "I'm sorry, Genis. I've got a lot on my mind."

The mage sighed. "I know you're worried about Colette but she's got Kratos and Raine with her. I'm sure she'll be perfectly fine whether we find her or not."

"I _will_ find her," Lloyd breathed, locking his focus on Triet as he began towards it with a determination that may as well have been visible.

"H-hey, wait for me!" Genis cried exasperatingly as he ran to catch up, Noishe right on his heels after a quick bark.

It wasn't long before the duo and dog reached the gates of town. The city was entirely surrounded in a rock wall, years of being slammed with sand having cloaked it in desert dust. Multiple signs of bustling activity became obvious straight away as they took a few steps into the square. They could see a marketplace to the left of town, as well as many strings of shops along the north as well.

It wasn't really the shops to the north that really made their interest jump though.

A ring of Desians in red standard uniform stood a ways away chatting. Both Lloyd and Genis were painfully in sight, too much so for their comfort zones. The two ducked behind Noishe, the green and white canine very perplexed as the both of them pushed him forward to an animal pen near the inn to hide. Both peaked out between the wooden framing of the pen to eavesdrop on the conversation being had.

"This is an order from Lord Forcystus! A human named Lloyd is on the run with an Exsphere. His identification code is unknown. Form a cordon in all areas immediately," a first Desian declared.

"What does this Lloyd look like?" another asked.

"His likeness and description are on the wanted posters. We're counting on you."

"Yes, sir!" The rest saluted at what was assumed to be their commanding officer. One Desian, instead of taking patrol like the others, sauntered over to a billboard and tacked something upon it. Even from where Lloyd stood, he could easily tell what it was from what he'd learned.

"Man…wanted posters and search parties." Lloyd whispered over Noishe to Genis, "They're really serious."

The twelve year-old nodded. "We need to hurry and find Colette."

The swordsmen couldn't help but groan lightly, awkward. "Hey, I thought we were looking for Colette to _protect_ her… This is more like we're looking for her to get _help_."

"Does it really matter _why_ we're looking for her?" Genis glared at him, crossing his arms. "You think too much when you don't have to!"

"Alright I get it. Sheesh," the older male relented, not in the mood for an argument. "I think they're far enough away so let's ask around. Somebody in this place must have seen Colette at some point."

He slipped out the pen after telling Noishe to stay put, Genis waving at the canine as he followed suit. It was unsurprising that the first place they ventured to was the billboard. Lloyd just _had_ to see that wanted poster. What they saw on the poster, however, was rather shocking—perhaps even _scary_. The picture was appalling, as if an infant had been hired to draw it. In fact, it barely passed as a warped caricature.

"Is _this_ the wanted poster?" Genis muttered sarcastically, very unimpressed.

Lloyd grimaced as he stared at it. On the outside, he couldn't manage to worm out of the blank shroud that had settled over him. On the inside it was quite the opposite. He couldn't believe how inaccurate this picture was. Desians had just plummeted even _lower_ on his hate list—if only for their heinous artistic view of him.

"…Am I _this_ ugly?" he asked finally.

"It's good." His elven friend shut his eyes as he thought on the question a moment. "They'll never find you with this…I think."

The young man whipped to the side, pointing at the picture. His inward infuriation had been let loose. "What do you mean '_you think'_?"

"Do you really want me to elaborate…?"

"…You know what, fine. Let's just go already before everything begins to sting from the sight of this…_thing_." He immediately took off toward the market after the last word left his lips.

Genis sighed with a small smile. Sometimes being the swordsmen's cohort could be very exhausting.

The market was extremely busy, various items being sold left and right. After asking around, they'd learned that the activity in Triet was actually less populous than it used to be due to the Desians. The town was already so lively that imagining it more so was practically impossible. It was very tempting for the two to join in themselves. Some stalls had some very handy and interesting materials or equipment on sale. Everything was too expensive though, and they were only here browsing for information anyway.

After gathering a nice tidbit from a salesman about a fortuneteller that may be able to help them to the north of town, Lloyd and Genis tried to weave their way back to the square—only to pause when they noticed something very peculiar.

…And very familiar…

They'd stumbled upon a small home with a mysterious human shaped hole in the front wall. Genis fumed as he studied it, his fists tightening. The man who owned it, however, seemed very happy about his household damage. He was almostshowing-off the hole to the public. Lloyd found that strange until he observed the hole again. Something clicked in his brain and everything made sense. He felt his sweat drop.

"Look, the Desians did this too! I can't stand all the damage they keep doing to this place!" Genis spat harshly.

"No, this is…" Lloyd had to smile affectionately at the realization this time. "…this has to be…"

Genis blinked at him, at a loss. The owner decided to answer his unspoken question. The man's demeanor had to be on cloud nine as he bragged. "Isn't it amazing? This is the shape of the Chosen of Regeneration. It's going to become this city's next tourist spot."

The mage settled into a knowing yet unemotional state, facing the wall again. He ran his concentration over it one too many times for Lloyd's growing impatience.

"…Oh right. This is like the schoolhouse… Colette..." he said at last in a sudden downcast. He missed his friend's clumsiness.

"Hey, we'll find them soon." Lloyd patted his head. "Let's go talk to that fortuneteller first."

The younger male cheered up a little, nodding as he and Lloyd started off again—making sure not to become distracted by anything this time.

It didn't take long to reach the north path, the two boys deciding to jog there since the dirt road went around the town's famous oasis. The fortuneteller's tent was hard to miss. It sat at the end of the trail, and strangely, it had no line. If they weren't in such a hurry it would be very suspicious.

"Hello?" Lloyd called out as he parted the fold of the tent, taking a few steps in.

"Welcome to the House of Fortune," a woman in very cliché shaman clothing beckoned as the two travelers entered. "What would you like me to divine for you?"

The inside of this place wasn't huge, lined with many strange boxes and objects. There were some colorful blue drapes set up around the tent at least. Not something one would call _professional_ though.

"Well, I'd like to know where Colette…where the Chosen is now," the swordsmen said, resting a hand on one of the scabbards of his twin blades.

She contemplated and then smiled. "Understood. That will be 100 Gald."

Lloyd's eyes widened. "That's expensive!"

"…Did you say something?"

"Ah, n…no, I…" He offered a questioning glimpse over to Genis, who could only shrug. Shaking his head, Lloyd reached in his pocket for the money, reluctantly handing it over.

As soon as she was paid, the fortuneteller gazed into her crystal ball. She made many fake sounding noises and facial emotions as she waved her hands around the sphere. "Mmm…I can see her! The Chosen is heading for the oasis that is said to have been destroyed when Efreet went out of control."

"…Is that true?" the mage queried skeptically.

The woman only smiled again. "The Chosen's companion said so, so there's no doubt!"

Lloyd's brow furrowed instantly. He'd had quite enough of Triet's nonsense today. He thrust his arm forward, his palm upturned. "I want a refund…"

Genis was able to drag his friend out of the tent before the phony mystic could slap down her ridiculous policy on him. He was sick of this place too to be honest, so much so that he ignored Lloyd's ranting the entire time they walked back to get Noishe. He was far too eager to get out of here for anything to bother him now.

Luck was not with them. As soon as they retrieved Noishe and reached the entrance again, a voice forced them to a halt.

"Wait!"

The party turned around and recoiled at the source. Three Desian soldiers had spotted them leaving.

"_Damn,"_ Lloyd thought, wrapping a hand around one sword hilt just in case.

The Desian on the left turned to the one to the right. "Doesn't he look like the guy in the wanted poster?"

"Let's see…" The rightmost Desian examined the poster from earlier and then Lloyd, smirking. "Yeah, he looks just like it!"

Genis couldn't pass up the opportunity to poke fun at _this_, holding in a burst of laughter. "Good for you, Lloyd. They say you're good looking."

"Do I really look _that_ bad?" the swordsmen whined, effectively reminded of his annoyance at that stupid poster.

The soldiers approached them. The leader in the middle brought up his whip in threat. "You must be Lloyd!"

"…Yeah, that's right"

The elven boy tipped his head in surprise at his companion's choice of words. "Hey, what about your usual 'Who are you to ask for my name' thing?"

"I'm not gonna even bother."

The rightmost soldier suddenly laughed. "Heheh… I guess you can't run away with a poster of your face everywhere!"

That pushed hard on Lloyd's anger button. He drew one blade up slightly. "…You're really starting to piss me off!"

The three men shared aggressive glares, slamming their whips into the sand. "Get him," their leader commanded.

A whip was lashed out, aimed to strike Lloyd's arm. The swordsman was much more agile in his actions thankfully and drew his blades hastily enough to have the whip end up coiling around one sword instead. The dual-wielder shoved his arm back, pulling the Desian forward by his weapon just in time to be driven into his other sword.

"You inferior being! How dare you!" the leftmost solider screamed, landing a strike across Lloyd's right leg. He dropped to a knee in pain, his defense shot down for enough time to be severely injured. The man ran up, preparing to thrash him across the face.

"Wind Blade!"

Small sharp wisps of wind stopped the Desian from getting any closer. It shredded up his clothing, even leaving some cuts into his armor and helmet. Lloyd looked behind him to see Genis holding up his kendama. He gave him a nod. No matter how basic the mage's current skill was, he was not to be underestimated.

"Okay!" Lloyd muttered to himself. He used his position to spring up at the tattered Desian, who still dizzy from the spell, the gained speed making his attack even more powerful. He thrust his sword through the soldier, a distinctive energy drilling into the man. "Sonic Thrust!"

He fell to the ground next to the first of his group, leaving only the leader left. The remaining man hesitated for only a moment, charging with a feral cry at Lloyd, who countered the whipping motions with cross slices and upward swings.

"Genis," he signaled, "now!"

The leader flinched, realizing he'd been caught up by a distraction. He had no time to say anything as the magic-user finished casting, a flow of blue mana surrounding him after a glyph flashed under his feet. "Aqua Edge!"

Discs of razor water homed in on the soldier, the first making contact as soon as Lloyd jumped safely away. It wasn't long until that Desian joined his counterparts on the ground, defeated. That hadn't been _so_ tough, all considering.

Lloyd relaxed after he was sure of their victory, rubbing under his nose with the top of one hand, grinning. "Heh. All talk."

"Lloyd, don't let your guard down, or you'll regret it," Genis warned, keeping his weapon in hand.

He shook his head at his friend, lowering his swords. "I'm not letting my guard down. It's just that they were so pitiful…"

As if out of nowhere, a condensed orb of electrical energy flew out at the swordsmen, moving too fast for Genis to have time to tell him to dodge. It hit him square in the back, exploding all over his body in a web of lightning. The numbing pain surged from his every nerve, shooting up his spine and shutting down all his senses.

"W…w-whoa….w-wha…t…is…th…" Lloyd's vision waned, becoming blurry and dark as he felt his swords fall out of his hands. His hearing was also fading out. Genis' frantic cries became inaudible to him as he made out the mage backing away with Noishe. There was someone or something behind him that had done this. He couldn't check though because he was unable to move.

He fought hard against the shocking to stay strong. He didn't want Genis to handle whatever had happened on his own. However, the warrior's wish was denied. His vision abandoned him then, mind shattering as he felt himself sink into total blackness. Thoughts ran dry. His voice plugged. Strength drained out of him. He was at the mercy of his attackers.

Lloyd's unconscious form plummeted into the sand near his blades, kicking up a small sand cloud. Would he die here? _Could_ he die here? All that could be determined at this point was that his fate was in the hands of uncertainty.

One always hopes that in tales such as this, the normal is to occur and go as expected…

…But tales like this can change unexpectedly…

Sometimes, it takes the power of one story to bring out the truth in another.

Until the return of his consciousness, all Lloyd could do was wait—unaware of what the future held in store for him.

* * *

**Lloyd received the title of Wanted Swordsmen. The Desians are really going all out to catch me... If only they had the artistic skills to hunt me down in a proper fashion.**

**Genis left the party. **


	2. C02: Makeshift Duo

**Ayame**: Hello everyone, and welcome back to Eternal Chronicles! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!

**Kazea**: It got three whole reviews. I'm so proud! Thank you so much to everyone who did so!

**Ayame**: Hopefully my chapter will get reviews, too~ Speaking of, chapter 2 is mine, and you know what that means, right?

**Kazea**: Hehe, it must mean some Phantasia characters are close by... I wonder what Ayame has planned out for you all! ^^

**Ayame**: Of course! Prepare for some awesome heroic teamwork~!

**Ayame**: ...And watch for flying chests.

**Kazea**: Yes... I'd advise to anyone who knows these characters well to bring something to protect yourself with. ^^;; Such a dangerous combo. It's 'leap before you think' with those two.

**Ayame**: And with that, please enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer is well, you know... Does anyone actually care?**

**Ayame and Kazea**: Jikai made~

**-Chapter 02: Makeshift Duo-**

A young man woke up, his body aching. He stared up at the ceiling with grey eyes, only half awake. He was surrounded by light green walls and bars...

_Wait, bars?_ He sat up. He was in a jail cell. Again. There was one bed in the small area, which he was lying on. And, worst of all, his sword was missing. _Oh no..._ he thought, his face white. _If I've lost that, then..._ He tried to push out the sinking feeling in his chest. _All right, I need to think... What happened exactly..._

* * *

_There was a bright glow in the room as the bird of light disappeared. The pact was made. The group stared a second at the topaz ring as it slowly lost its glow. Klarth F. Lester lowered his hand and turned around. "Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm exhausted," he said._

_"Yeah, agreed..." muttered one of his companions, Arche. The pink haired half-elf wasn't even riding on her broom anymore—she was almost completely out of magic. On top of that, her white shirt and pink pants were both a little tattered. "Cless, don't we have any more pineapple gels?" She glanced over to the swordsman with bright pink eyes._

_"We're running slow on supplies," answered Cless. Unlike the witch, he wore armor, which mostly kept him safe; however, his beloved red cape also showed some wear from their recent battles._

_"Perhaps Cust might know where we can replenish our supplies," the healer suggested, her voice soft. Mint felt terrible not being able to heal her companions, but she knew that if she used her energy now, she wouldn't be able to heal them when they needed it most. Her blue eyes glanced around at the group, concerned._

_"Who is Cust?" the newest member of the group spoke up. Suzu was the youngest of the group—only eleven years old—but she was still quite wise beyond her years. She was a ninja, and therefore trained to hide her emotions. However, despite her calm and composed exterior, the others could sometimes see her feelings behind her brown eyes._

_"It's the machine that warped us here," explained the swordsman._

_"I believe he said that he runs the functions for all of Thor," Klarth spoke up. "If that's the case, then—"_

_"Then what are we waiting for! Let's go!" the witch finished. She led the way out, and the others slowly followed, wondering how she was still able to move so quickly._

_They were disappointed to find that they, once again, had to find the correct key to get into the room with Cust, which was connected to a random door in this place. They had to attribute it to the advanced technology that was in this lost city, and they had yet to find any shortcut around the security system._

_"Found it!" Arche cheered. She spun around and walked over to the doors—only to find the last member of their group leaning against the wall. "Hey, why aren't you helping out?" she demanded._

_The archer of the group, Chester, stared down at her with bored blue eyes. "You seemed to have it handled," he answered simply._

_"Seemed to...! You could do something instead of being useless, you know!"_

_"_I'm_ useless? Your spells _miss_ half of the time!"_

_"You're the one who can't hit!"_

_"I hit way more than you do!"_

_"I don't think hitting the trees on the other side of the monsters counts!"_

_"I don't hit the trees!"_

_Cless sighed, walking over to the bickering pair. "Is that the key?" he asked, trying to stop them without getting in the middle of it._

_"Cless! Tell Chester how good I am!"_

_So much for that._

_"You two... We're a _team_. We're all working together," he answered, feeling a slight headache coming on. "It's because of all of our efforts that we're—"_

_"I've put in a lot more effort than he has!" Arche interrupted._

_"Yeah right! You always mess things up somehow!"_

_"I do not!"_

_Cless gave up and walked over to the others. "I tried."_

_"It'll be over soon," Klarth assured him._

_"What about that food you made?" the archer challenged, still arguing with Arche._

_"Hey! That was a really good idea!"_

_"You could've given us food poisoning!"_

_"Oh shut up! You weren't in any danger!"_

_"Weren't in any danger...? I can _still_ feel that disgusting taste!"_

_"I bet you can't cook any better!"_

_"_Anyone_ could cook better than you!"_

_"Fine, then you're cooking the next meal!"_

_"Fine!" Chester turned away from the half-elf, arms crossed. She stuck her tongue out at him one last time before turning away and stomping off to the first door she could find. She tried the key—luckily for her, it worked._

_"Ah, this is it!" she called out as she entered the room. The rest followed, with Chester bringing up the rear. She hurried over to the controls and started up the machine._

_"Welcome to the Mother Computer Room," a voice spoke up as a face appeared on the machine. "I am Cust. I provide all functions throughout Thor city. Select objective."_

_Arche pressed the controls hard, still annoyed by her argument with the blue haired archer. Due to her anger, she was only half paying attention to what she was pressing._

_"Input accepted," the machine spoke up. "Time warp device driver activated. Anti-gravity energy check..."_

_"Wait, time travel? Arche..." Cless turned to her, worried._

_"Ah, that was a wrong button! Hold on, I've got this!" she assured him as she started paying attention to what she was doing._

_"Energy verified. Indicated the number of years relative to the present."_

_The archer walked over, annoyed. "Move," he ordered. "Let me handle this."_

_"You...! Shut up!" She spun around, her broom hitting a button._

_"Input accepted. Time travel destination space coordinate safety conditions met. Beginning main process." The machine started glowing. The six froze, unsure of what to do._

_"Cless-san, the Eternal Sword..." the cleric suggested._

_"Right!" He quickly unsheathed the sword, holding it up—_

_A beam from the machine hit the sword, creating a huge force of energy. The travelers screamed as they disappeared into a bright blue light._

_

* * *

_

So... now I'm here...?

Cless surveyed his surroundings again, but there was nothing interesting. He walked up to the bars, but he couldn't see much around his cell. _It couldn't be... Have I been captured by Dhaos...? If so, then... Are the others here as well?_

He glanced over to the side of the cell. Now he could see that there was a device—much like the computers in Thor—for opening it. He blinked, wondering what kind of security that was, and how Dhaos even _had_ that type of technology. Regardless, he'd take whatever he could—he moved over to that side and reached out—

"Hey, what are you doing?" a voice demanded. Cless glanced over—there was a guard. He was wearing a red shirt and black pants, with a pair of arm guards on. He also wore a helmet covering his face.

The swordsman quickly withdrew his hand. "Ah, nothing." He studied the man, surprised. He was expecting a demon to be guarding the area, not a normal person. _Then again, he could be under mind control... like Suzu's parents..._ Cless leaned back against the wall, thinking. He had to escape from here somehow...

He heard a door open nearby. "Another prisoner? Wait, is that the kid from the wanted posters?"

"Yeah. Open up a cell."

Cless watched closely as they brought the prisoner over—an unconscious boy, perhaps about his age. He was wearing red clothes and had brown hair. The cell door opened, and they walked in. The guards soon exited with two swords—the boy's swords. Cless carefully watched as much as he could—he needed a weapon.

"So what are they planning on doing with the prisoners?" one of Cless' captors asked.

"I don't know about that blond haired guy... I assume he'll be questioned."

"And the other one?"

"He's going to be executed for his crimes against us," one of the men said.

_Executed...? What's going on here?_ Cless thought to himself, trying to stay still so he could listen in further.

"Really?"

"That's what they're saying."

"Uh... ow! Where am I?" a voice spoke up from the next cell over.

"...If so, I feel sorry for that Lloyd kid," a guard continued, seeming to not notice that the person in question had already awoken.

"Yeah. He can't possibly escape execution."

"...Execution? What the hell?" Cless' fellow prisoner exclaimed.

"Hey, Lord Botta's calling you," yet another voice piped up.

"Gotcha."

Cless silently listened in as two pairs of footsteps retreated. The remaining guard no doubt resumed his watch.

"Dammit. They took my equipment, and I can't open the door with the guard there," Cless barely heard the other boy say.

He finally decided to speak up. "We're in the same situation, it seems. Perhaps we could help each other. Your name's Lloyd, correct?"

"Who are you to ask for my name?"

"Eh?" Cless paused, unsure of what to say for a moment. He then said, "I'm Cless Alvein." He found himself at a loss of words. He wasn't sure if this other boy was a criminal or not from what they said earlier. He definitely didn't sound like a criminal, though. Still, one couldn't be too sure. "How did you get here?" he asked after a moment.

"Me? That's a good question. They snuck up on me and brought me here while knocked out, so I'm not really sure myself. I don't think I was doing anything that I should be killed over, though. I'm just worried about a friend of mine..."

"I have a few friends I'm worried about, too," Cless said. "I'm not sure what happened exactly, but..." _I hope they're all right... What if we've all been separated? Suzu and I are the only ones who can fight in close combat... Mint, though..._

"Looks like we both need to get out of here, then."

"But how? The guard will notice if we try anything..."

"Dwarven vow number 16! You can do anything if you try!"

Cless blinked, confused. He'd heard of dwarves, but only in tales long past. It was said that they were long extinct, and that their ruins were hidden deep within Morlia. Regardless, that wasn't what mattered right now: they had to escape. "Do you have anything that can get us out of here?" he asked.

"No. They took both my swords, and... Hey, I still have my Sorcerer's Ring!"

The armored swordsman paused; he completely forgot about that. He checked his pocket to find his there as well. "I have one, too..."

"There's another Sorcerer's Ring?"

"Apparently. I didn't know there was another one, either," answered Cless.

"Think maybe we could hit the guard with both of them?"

"First we need to get him over here... Can you see what he's doing?"

"Uhh..." After a moment, the boy continued, "Wait, is he playing cards? But I thought you could only play cards with others..."

_Cards? Hm..._ Cless clutched the Sorcerer's Ring in his hands. "Excuse me, Sir," he called over to the guard.

"What do you want?"

"Wouldn't it be more fun to have people to play with?" he suggested. "All we're doing is waiting for questioning and execution anyway."

The guard paused. "Why do you want to play at a time like this?"

"Well, the prospect of possible execution is quite daunting... Cards would help ease my nerves and relax a little." Cless continued listening after he finished talking—he soon heard the guard getting up. "Get ready," he muttered to his fellow inmate.

The guard walked over, cards in hand. "You guys know Go Fish, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Go Fish!" Both young men held up their Sorcerer's Rings, and fire spit out at the guard. He screamed and ran out, his outfit burning. The two swordsmen then hurried over to the pads by their doors and pressed the large red button—Cless couldn't help but wonder what kind of security this was supposed to be. Whatever they were going for, they failed. Miserably.

"So you're Cless?" the other boy asked once they were both out.

"That's right."

"I'm Lloyd Irving."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too."

"Shall we make our escape now?"

"We need to find our weapons first."

"I think I saw them take your swords this way..." Cless walked past Lloyd's jail cell, to where a desk and some odd machines were set up. Behind the desk, he noticed a large yellow treasure chest. "This must be it." He kneeled down and tried to open the chest.

However, it wouldn't budge.

"Is there a key anywhere?" Cless asked his new companion as he continued trying to open the chest.

"Uh..." The other swordsman started looking. After finding nothing on the desk, he went over to the weirdest device and tried looking through there.

They paused when they heard a door open. "Everything okay in here?" a new voice asked. And worse, the footsteps were definitely coming their way.

Cless glanced down at the treasure chest, and an idea hit him. "Lloyd, help me," he said as he grabbed one side of the treasure chest. Lloyd hurried over and grabbed the other side, and they quickly carried the heavy chest around to the front of the desk. They stood against the wall there, waiting for the new guard to reach them.

As soon as the guard emerged, the two swordsmen flung the treasure chest at him. The guard fell back, hitting his head against the wall, and withered in pain from the heavy object. And, as an added bonus, the chest popped open, revealing a pair of identical swords.

Lloyd rushed over, quickly grabbing his weapons and slashing the guard. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the other guard, who was swinging at him. Cless charged in, holding his arm up so that his enemy's sword hit the armguard. With his other hand, he grabbed the hilt of his enemy's sword before delivering a kick to the man's stomach. He pulled the sword away from the stumbling guard, switching it to his right hand as he got ready to attack.

Finishing his guard off, Lloyd hurried over to help the other swordsman. Their opponent glanced between the two, scared. He then and turned and started running away as fast as he could. The swordsmen watched a second in disbelief before they lowered their weapons. Lloyd began putting his swords back on properly, while Cless started looking around.

"Something wrong, Cless?"

"My sword... It's not here..."

The area flashed red as an alarm sounded. "Uh-oh, that guard must've set off the alarm! Cless..."

Cless sighed—the Eternal Sword definitely wasn't here. "Let's go," he said. Lloyd nodded, and the two hurried on.

_I lost it... I lost the Eternal Sword..._ Cless thought, worried. _It's a powerful sword... What if it ends up in the wrong hands...?_

_Then I'll get it back. I have to find that sword... no matter what. And that's not all I have to find... I need to find my friends as well. Chester, Arche, Klarth-san, Suzu... Mint... I hope they're all okay..._

**Cless received the title of Return Prisoner. How am I in a prison again...?**

**Cless and Lloyd received the title of Makeshift Duo. Need to somehow get out of a prison with no equipment? Please, that's easy!**

**Cless joined the party.**


	3. C03: Prison Break

**Kazea:** Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternal Chronicles! It's been awhile, huh? I guess I'm going to have to be the one to apologize for that...

**Ayame****:** I don't blame you with how super-long it is.

**Kazea****:** Y-yeah... I started classes a few weeks ago, and along with some other things that have kept me busy, I've been lacking some time for this. But! You can be assured I didn't forget about our story, which could never happen.

**Ayame****:** Oh! Speaking of the story (though I guess that's what this whole author's note is about), there's now a poll up on our profile, asking which Phantasia character you think will come in next! One person's already noticed and voted... and they seem to know me pretty well...

**Kazea****:** I keep telling you. It's because you have serious Chester withdrawal. Now even your readers see that it's a problem... *sigh*

**Ayame****:** I do not have Chester withdrawal!

**Kazea****:** Yes, yes, of course. We all believe you. Well, thanks for taking the time to vote. Only time will tell if your guesses were right—and if Ayame's as obvious as she comes off.

**Ayame****:** I'll have you know that I can have fun without Chester there! Look at the treasure chest throwing last chapter and the start of the Cless and Lloyd teamwork awesomeness! I also started with the making fun of Yuan's horrid security there.

**Kazea****:** Yeah, well, I took over poking fun at Yuan. And, after reading this, he really does have a long list of Epic Fails...

**Ayame****:** Ooohhh yeah. Seriously, Yuan, hire better guys and let Botta take over with the security. I mean, Botta's security is weird, but at least it's somewhat better.

**Kazea****:** I still find it odd that Yuan has so many issues leading a group, when he's this hero and all, and yet he's still easier to describe than Botta is.

**Ayame****:** Well look at how weird Botta's outfit is! What the heck is he even _wearing_?

**Kazea****:** A vest... Armor... Tunic... Um...

**Ayame****:** Speaking about fashion sense, Lloyd and Cless get called out for theirs. And Cless, seriously? "It's not red"? What color _is_ it, then?

**Kazea****:** Apparently he prefers pink...

**Ayame****:** Yes. Because Real Men Wear Pink.

**Kazea****:** Hai, though, I still think it's red and he's in denial. He's boycotting the color after seeing what it did to Lloyd.

**Ayame****: **Well, then his cape will have to be his identity, since he's denying the red.

**Kazea****:** Let's hope Lloyd never wants to try it on; he's red enough without it.

**Ayame****:** Lloyd in Cless' cape... Now someone needs to draw that. Oh, and Sheena can steal Klarth's hat!

**Kazea****:** That'd be great...! Though, we're getting ahead of ourselves, hehe...

**Ayame****:** Right. We should probably stop talking and let them enjoy the chapter now. Any more announcements?

**Kazea****:** Ah, yes. I have an important notice from the both of us before you get started. First is that, as warned, this chapter is ridiculously long. Why? I have no real idea! It's just how it happened to turn out. I put two months of work into this one chapter, and it covers just a bit of story. I know you might all might think that's annoying, but I'm telling you right now, we are _not_ at all going this in-depth on everything in Symphonia because it would just be super boring. Which leads me to the point: I went all-out on this base because I wanted to give Lloyd and Cless some nice character development... However, we're here to tell you that we are most likely not doing this for the rest of the story. It's so much easier to sum up the dungeons than do what I did here and write up eighteen pages all about a small base... *major sweatdrop*

**Ayame****:** Yes, definitely. Especially since I could never get out 18 pages about one dungeon. That, and some dungeons are big, repetitive, and boring.

**Kazea****:** _Especially_ in Symphonia, and I'm sure fans can all relate to that... Tied into that, I'm letting you all know that to make things easier I might do some swapping around with how the OVA of Symphonia does things and how the game does. There are some scenes from the animation I'd like to do whilst sticking with the proper story path. Point is, for seal—like the one we're coming close to—it'd be easier just to do what the OVA did and make the lower dungeon a straight pretty hallway leading to the alter room...

**Ayame:** Yes. So, you've been warned.

**Kazea**: Anyway, I'm done blabbing and so is Ayame. You've been waiting long enough for this as it is! Please enjoy this belated chapter I've prepared for you all. It's amusing, if anything.

**Ayame**: It definitely is~ Enjoy, minna-san!

**Disclaimer is well, you know... Does anyone actually care?**

**Ayame and Kazea**: Jikai made~

**-=C03: Prison Break=- **

* * *

The loud summoning of the intruder alarm echoed throughout the base in a continuous cycle that was really doing a number on Lloyd's nerves. As he and Cless dashed from hall to hall, the flashing red light coupled with the noise only seemed to get all the more disturbing. Sure it was annoying, but unfortunately it did its job—more than Lloyd could say for the _rest_ of the security here.

Like a siren song, the alarm had hoards of Desians running to its beck and call. Thankfully the two swordsmen hadn't yet run into another group of enemies, having been very careful. Martel knows how long luck would hold out for them though.

After what seemed an eternity, the alarm was shut off. Lloyd, as he cut off his jog to press his back on the wall, held up a hand to signal Cless to stop as well. Both young men sighed in relief after a quick glance at each other. Anymore of that intruder racket and they surely would have gone deaf.

The dual-wielder peaked out at the hallway ahead, curving his head slightly around the corner. There were two Desians guarding what he assumed was an automatic door. They seemed to be regular grunts, only armed with single-edged broadswords. Lloyd had to quirk an eyebrow. Desians of this status didn't usually use swords, or wear red armor for that matter. He thought it was always blue armor, and that the lower grunts were given standardized whips.

His eyes tapered as he turned his head back forward. Who cared what kinds of methods this Desian base followed. He was already angry that he had been captured by a group so disgusting in the first place. Just the thought of it made his blood boil. Lloyd knew he wasn't the _brightest_ person in Sylvarant, but to have gotten into a situation like _this_?

"Did you see anything ahead, Lloyd?" Cless whispered, bringing his newfound ally out of his stupor.

Lloyd looked to the side, seeing Cless' worry in how he had tilted his head. "Sorry. There are two Desians up ahead. The good thing is that it's just a straight short hallway that leads to a door. I think that means we're somewhere in the middle of this place."

"I see…" The armored warrior glanced down at the sword he'd stolen prior, his eyes and bangs reflecting back at him against the cold steel. "I guess we have no choice this time but to fight head on if we want to get through."

"Yeah, seems that way," Lloyd agreed, drawing both his swords again in preparation.

"I do have to know though. You called these people 'Desians'? Who or what _are_ Desians?"

Lloyd felt his whole face widen in shock—at a loss for words due to Cless' all too real uncertainness. He blinked as he tried to think of how to go about this. He couldn't be _serious_, right? Not knowing what a Desian is. How could anyone not know about the _Desians_ of all things? Perhaps he had acquired amnesia…

"…They're a group of people who do really terrible things to everyone. But, I don't know if this is the best time for me to explain. I promise I'll tell you whatever you'd like to know as soon as we get out of here," he said finally.

Cless was surprised, however understood his reasoning and nodded. Talking would have to wait. The task now was to get rid of these guards.

Lloyd bent his knees, getting ready to sprint. "On three?"

"Yes," Cless mirrored his movements, sword gripped tightly. "One…"

"Two…"

"…Three!"

They pushed on the ground with all the might they could muster, charging across the corridor with enough of a preemptive strike to have both Desians totally caught off guard. One of them was able to block Lloyd's quick slashes despite his astonishment. The other was not so lucky. Cless was extremely fluid in skill, ducking and spinning around under the man's frenzied attacks, his blade cutting directly into his torso. He fell defeated, Cless pivoting to rush at the man gaining more of an edge over Lloyd at this point.

"Lightning Tiger Blade!"

The remaining Desian was caught up in a rain of wicked electrical power, Lloyd jumping back to avoid it as the man screamed in pain. Cless ended that when he plunged down upon him from up in the air, his weapon's metal gleaming with the energy he'd invoked. That was it for that enemy.

"W-whoa…" Lloyd stumbled out, sort of impressed while somehow being half freaked out at the same time. He had _not_ expected that.

Cless sheathed his weapon back into his scabbard, offering Lloyd a small smile while making his way towards the door. "Phew… Shall we move on? Others probably heard that and are on the way right now."

"Ah, r-right..." Lloyd put his swords away as well, scratching his neck as he followed behind. His eyes dulled in irritation at himself as he walked. _"Man… For such an optimistic guy, Cless is really strong. He got lightning to strike down out of nowhere! Why is it that every other swordsman I meet has to be a thousand times better than me? I kind of feel pathetic now."_

"Is something wrong?" Cless asked softly, the mechanical door parting for them when it sensed their approach.

Lloyd shook his head, awkward. "Nope, I'm good. Don't worry about me."

Any thought other than the escape at hand was soon lost on them both. The room beyond the door was spacious, having many patterns on the walls and floors akin to the hallways leading to it. Two floor panels of a different color had been set on the right and left of what looked to be a large fancy generator in the middle of the area. There was one door on the northwest wall near the corner of the room. Lloyd's brain locked a targeting circle on it.

"Over there," he said, pointing with one hand.

Cless followed the point's trail to the door and nodded. It seemed so simple. Nothing, however, could be _that_ simple without some kind of method. Waltzing over to the door might not be the best option. The armored warrior started examining the room in case of any hidden traps, passing Lloyd who had noticed something else.

The dual-swordsmen scratched the side of his face, taking his steps in a different direction. In front of the room's centerpiece stood a strange light blue pedestal of some sort. It had some markings etched into its material, and a sphere of light floating on top of it.

"Let's see," he murmured, peering down. The Sorcerer's Ring on his finger began to quiver.

Lloyd bounded his vision between the ring and the pedestal. A tiny part of him inwardly cursed his distracted focus. This wasn't the time to fiddle with some weirdly acquired machine made for the Sorcerer's Ring. He should be heading for the door with Cless.

Still…

It was just _so_ tempting. He couldn't help it.

He reached out the hand adorned with the ring, preparing to stick it in the strange light sphere. He paused when he faintly caught the sound of footsteps, voices, and a low buzzing. This wasn't coming from the hall they'd just come from. It had to be…

"Cless!" Lloyd warned, running around the generator to find a still busy Cless on the opposite side of the door, obviously thinking too much and not close enough to have noticed the noise. The red warrior decided not to waste time and rushed forward, digging his hand into the young man's cape and yanking him along with him. Thankfully, he had been close enough the generator to have seen that the bottom of it sunk lower than the normal floor for the cables and such. Not the safest place, but it was still far safer than standing around waiting to be captured.

He jumped into the ditch, Cless of course dragged behind him. Lloyd backed up as far as he could out of sight and sat tight, releasing his new friend.

"Ahh, why did you—"

"Shush!"

The sound of a door whizzing open reached them, and Cless blinked understandingly—pushing back next to Lloyd to hide. He had to admit, having not heard this beforehand was a careless move on his part. He'd have to thank Lloyd later.

Two sets of booted feet clanked across the room, clearly in a sprint.

"Where is he? That kid in red disappeared!" one gruff voice yelled.

"He wasn't over there either," the other said, not sounding as panicked as his partner.

Lloyd shook his head in annoyance, eyes narrowing. Cless held back a chuckle as his companion mouthed the phrase _'that kid in red' _to himself. The blond patted his shoulder.

"I don't see the weirdo kid in the cape either. I thought it was reported that they'd escaped together."

It was now Lloyd's turn to bite back a laugh. Cless' expression at the way he had been addressed was _priceless_. It was if someone had slapped him, frozen him in that state of shock, and then laughed in his face as he slowly thawed out. Lloyd teasingly patted his shoulder, as if responding to the pat he had only been given seconds ago.

"That's strange. How could we miss them when there's only one passage?"

"I'm not sure. Let's head back. There's obviously nothing to see here."

Their scuffles of moment got less audible. They were probably heading away from where they were hiding. It was quite fortunate that they'd been able to stay in the clear _and_ eavesdrop for information as an added bonus.

Cless kneeled up a little to peak over the floor above them, gesturing Lloyd to do the same when he felt they would be alright. The brown-haired male did so, and both boys had an excellent view of the situation. There were two Desian guards, as thought, and they were trying to exit through the door they wanted to use themselves.

Curiously, it didn't seem like either one of them could get the door to open up.

"Oh, yeah," one suddenly said. "This room has a special mechanism."

He pressed a button on what appeared to be his wrist, and from behind the generator, two devices floated over to them. The Raybits—smallish tan machine monsters—were each directed by the Desians over to those oddly colored floor panels they'd spotted earlier. To their surprise, the machines electrocuted themselves, tangled in an electrical web much like Lloyd remembered being caught in before being brought here.

The electricity from their bodies absorbed into the panels, surged through a line on the floor connecting to the door, and powered up the exit enough for it to open.

"So that was the trick… I knew there was a trick," Cless whispered, causing Lloyd to tilt his head.

"It's annoying to go through all the trouble of electrifying them and moving them over the panels just to open the door," the first Desian bellowed out.

"Lord Botta sure likes to do things the hard way," replied the other.

"Alright, let's go look for the kid in red and the kid with the cape back at our post."

"Roger."

They left immediately as the last word was spoken, leaving the Raybits in the room. The warriors were shut in again, but those guards had conveniently showed them the secret to reopening the doors. Lloyd had to wonder if some of these Desians were mentally impaired…

"Red, red, red," he spat as he crawled out of the trench-like area and stood up. "Does my outfit stand out _that_ much? Sheesh."

"Well," Cless started with a titter, he too pulling himself out of their hideaway, "you do wear a lot of red, Lloyd."

The twinblade frowned, studying his clothing for a moment. "…Well, what about you? You're the one with the red cape fluttering behind you…"

"I-it's not red… I think…"

"Looks red to me…"

Cless took a portion of his cape and waved it in front of his face. "What's wrong with capes? They're really not that unusual."

"Maybe where you come from—wherever _that_ is," Lloyd said to himself with a small smile, not wanting to play on his ally's fashion sense when his own was in question.

Cless dropped his cape, hunching forward slightly with crossed arms. "...This cape isn't my whole identity, you know."

"Well, wearing red isn't my life either!"

"Too late now. We're the 'cape and red' duo, and stuck with it."

"Can't we be called something cooler...? Like 'Sword Fury Squad'!"

Cless stared at him incredulously, looking very against the idea. That had to be a joke, right? "...I think we should work on getting out of here now. This isn't the most pleasant of places."

Lloyd's frown increased. "What's that face for? I thought that was a great name!"

When Cless didn't respond, or didn't know how to, the twinblade shrugged. "Alright," he relented, "can you maybe use that lightning attack you used before to imitate the effect we saw?"

"No, I don't think so. That electricity only focuses on a target for a few seconds as I strike—and we don't want to destroy them."

"Yeah, you're right." Lloyd thought for a moment, and then remembered the strange pedestal he'd been examining. He gestured to it. "We should take a closer look at this thing."

Cless noticed it too after that, raising an eyebrow. "What _is_ this exactly?"

"I have no idea! But, the Sorcerer's Ring was acting strange near it."

"The ring was?"

"Uh-huh."

Cless examined his own Sorcerer's Ring. Nothing seemed off about it from what he could tell. He moved his hand closer to the machine, and was surprised when the ring indeed began acting funny. The quivering object was practically begging to be put into the light. What were these devices anyway? Why was one _here_ of all places? Who _made_ them? So many questions…

"Well, couldn't hurt to see what it does. How about we test it?" he suggested.

Lloyd nodded instantly, probably having been prepared to do that even if Cless had wanted to stay cautious. "Sounds good to me."

They stuck their hands into the orb of light above the machine, bracing themselves for some kind of pain or oddity. The light sphere, after detecting the rings, rose up and then rebounded back to the spot it had originated, a distinct sound ringing out through the room.

Cless looked at Lloyd skeptically, taking away his hand. That had been weird. Light automatically reacting like a boomerang… It was certainly a new one for him. One thing he did notice was that the color of the gemstone on the ring had changed from its usual reddish shade to a dark purple.

Lloyd's had the same aftereffect, and he turned around and aimed it at a wall. When he activated it, an electrical surge fired out of it—not a small blast of flame. It astonished both of them. Cless turned and tried to use his as well, only to discover his now shot out lightning too.

"Well, I guess we know what it does." The red swordsman eyed the Raybits still hovering around on guard. "Maybe we can stop those weird machines with this new power."

The gears turned in Cless' head. "Yes. We should use this to our advantage. In the future, we should check out any devices like this. They're surprisingly convenient."

"Right." Lloyd motioned to the Raybit floating about on the right side of the room. "You get it on the panel and I'll shoot. Then we'll switch."

Cless nodded, and soon the plan was set into motion. He drew his blade and rushed out at the mechanical monster. His sword slammed on top of it, but was deflected by the dense shell it was protected with. The Raybit, unfazed, scrutinized him when it spun around, a small ray gun appearing under it.

The armored warrior held up his sword as a purple energy attack was fired at him, almost losing his grip on the blade when it barely withstood the force. "This sword is poorly made. I need a better one," he groaned as he jumped out of the way of another blast. "I guess that I don't want to do that much damage though."

He tried engaging in close range again, swinging the blade under the monster to slice off the gun. It worked, and weapon clanked across the floor, sparking from the detachment. Cless kicked the machine before it could counter fast enough, running up again to forcefully push it onto the necessary panel.

Lloyd saw that Cless had successfully accomplished the goal and moved out to fire the ring. The blond took note of this, planning to get out of the way. However, as he was doing so, he hit a snag—most literally.

"W-what," he stammered as he struggled to move, something jerking him back against the machine. Was the Raybit grabbing him somehow? He twisted his head to confirm his theory, though not in the way he had expected. Apparently his cape had become hooked on the broken lower half of the machine whilst he'd been shoving it on the panel. Cless grabbed a fistful of the fabric and pulled, but it was to no avail.

"Now!" Lloyd took aim and released his ring's power, having not noticed his friend's little problem.

"Lloyd, no, wait—"

Too late. The electricity hit the Raybit dead on, shrouding the monster in incredible power. The energy fed into the floor as planned. What wasn't planned was turning Cless into a human conductor. Lloyd's confident smirk fell almost instantaneously.

As he was shared the electrocution, Cless was wrapped up in harsh blue surges. The armored warrior twitched, eyes widening. The lightning hadn't just surrounded the monster. No, his cape had somehow carried the current up like a wire, giving him a taste of its full power as well. It felt so disturbingly bad it numbed his body. One thing was certain…

Cless was _not_ happy.

Lloyd ran over to him, suppressing his panic at the realization of it all. He bit his tongue as he reached to grab the part of Cless' cape which was caught. The material really _was_ stuck, and he had to admit it was a good thing he was wearing gloves as he went about this.

Fortunately, Lloyd was able to get it untangled and Cless away from the Raybit before it could do any real damage to him. He examined his ally, helping him up when he stumbled. "H-hey, you okay? Cless?"

"U-ungh…" Cless shook his head to rid himself of dizziness, balancing himself with Lloyd's help. "…I'm…fine… Thank you, Lloyd…"

"Don't worry about it, but… Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes… Trust me. I'll be okay." The blond shook himself off and smiled reassuringly, offering a chuckle. "One of my friends actually got caught in something like this once. When I tried to pull her out, I ended up getting stuck too. My other friends weren't happy about the situation. It was a really uncomfortable hour for everyone."

"Really? Don't tell me it was because of your cape."

"It wasn't!"

"Ahaha…"

Cless allowed himself to recover for a few more seconds. "So then, I believe it's your turn."

"As long as I don't get stuck because of one of these or something," Lloyd said jokingly, holding up one of the long white ribbons attached to the collar of his jacket.

They laughed again, though took their positions. This time around went much more smoothly. Lloyd confronted the other Raybit without much difficulty, managing to corner it on the second and last necessary panel. Cless then fired his Sorcerer's Ring, producing one very discontented sparking Raybit.

When both panels had taken in enough electricity, the two swordsmen heard the door click. Neither hesitated, and they were through it faster than they could even put the thought of doing so into their brains. Unfortunately, the next room was still big, and worse, it had yet more complicated machines. The most peculiar device had to be the cube-shaped system located in a small rotation pit. This base just kept getting more and more crazy.

Cless and Lloyd discussed on what to do, though neither came up with anything until Cless pointed out some electrical pillars built into the wall on the left. They figured out that if they shot the conductors with the Sorcerer's Ring, the cube device would spin and lock in a new direction. Depending on the combination, certain doors would open while other would shut tight. The first door that clicked open was the one to the north, so naturally that was the way they decided to take. If it was wrong, well, they could always come back.

"The control room is probably up here," Lloyd stated after catching a glimpse at a small sign above one of the doors, "there should be an emergency exit close by."

Cless silently proceeded behind his companion. They dropped their caution as they walked, which was a mistake, for as soon as they reached an area where the corridor split up into different paths, their luck ran out. A Desian to the north heard them, whirling around.

Lloyd halted. "N-not good."

"Hey, you—what are you doing here? Intruders!" the man bellowed out, moving to summon help.

"Lloyd, this way!" Cless yelled suddenly, taking off down the route to the left. The red warrior felt no need to argue, hurrying along after him. A few Desians they could handle. A dozen or so would be major trouble, even for the both of them. It was best to play things discreetly.

Without much thought, Cless entered through a random door at the end of the hall, Lloyd right on his heels. This smaller room was rather different from the other parts of the base. While it still had the same feel in design, it was more comfortable—more important in appearance.

"That was _way_ too close," Lloyd breathed, wiping his brow.

Cless sighed in agreement, turning around to take a good look at the door. "Perhaps we can wait here until—!"

"And just who the hell are you two?"

Lloyd tensed up again. It was official. They had lost _all_ luck. He turned as Cless had to find that the voice had come from, not a Desian, but someone probably more high-up in the ranks. He had distinctive blue hair tied up in a ponytail, and was adorned in some light armor and a black cloak.

The man raised his right hand, some purple mana visibly charging up into a condense cluster. This alarmed Cless, who already had his arm up in a defensive stance for the blow. Lloyd, however, took things to a more casual level.

"Give me your name and I shall give you mine!" he said, falling into a relaxed poise that was almost hinted with smugness.

Cless dropped his arm a bit, awkwardly glancing at his friend. He sure said that little catchphrase around potential enemies often, didn't he?

"Hahaha! You certainly have guts. But I'm afraid I don't see the need to introduce myself to a miserable little creature like you," the stranger declared, amused.

"What a coincidence," Lloyd smirked, not phased at all by the insult, "'cause I don't see a need to introduce myself either to a moron who doesn't realize how pathetic he is."

The man's amusement died, a scowl replacing it. "Why you little...!"

Lloyd and Cless felt his attack was coming for real this time, and again held up their arms. Something on Lloyd's hand shimmered brightly as he did so, the light of the mana charging up causing the item to gleam.

The cloaked enemy, upon seeing that, stopped everything he was doing. His magic was canceled, eyes broadened. "That Exsphere," he murmured, "You're...Lloyd?"

Cless trained his gaze to Lloyd's hand, just now noticing the strange blue gem bound to it by beautifully crafted ore. Exsphere?

"And if I am?" Lloyd replied, still in a mocking tone.

The man studied him. "Hmm, I see the resemblance." He eyed Cless next, ignoring the now very baffled dual-swordsmen. "And I suppose you'd be the boy we found with questionable technology on you..."

Cless instantly grabbed hold of the awareness that shot through him. "Give me back my sword and wing pack!"

"I don't think so. You do not give orders to me, and why at all you _have_ a wing pack with outlandish doppelgangers of my inventions is unsettling enough for me to keep you here for questioning. As for a sword, there was no weapon on you, so save your whining."

That news tore Cless apart, to the point where his distraught feelings were pouring out of him in visible waves. He tried not to slump as he took it all in, shaking his head gradually side to side.

Lloyd didn't have a clue what was going on with him, having no detail on his capture to begin with. Still, it bothered him to see Cless so taken aback. Wing packs, swords—he didn't care what it was that was stolen. He had to help Cless retrieve his belongings regardless. He drew his blades.

Just as he was about to engage the man, the alarm from earlier was switched back on. It was louder, meaning the situation had been identified as a high security alert. The sound was short lived though. A large man with distinguished clothing and two Desians entered the room.

"Sir! We've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility!" the taller, higher-ranked Desian stated, the other two lesser Desians saluting.

Lloyd nearly exploded in delight. _"Colette is here? She's okay…!"_ Then it hit him. The joy turned to anxiety straight away, his smile vanishing. "Wait… You…you're the Desian that attacked Iselia!"

The high Desian pinned him with attention, smirking. "So _you're_ Lloyd! Now this is amusing!"

Cless was drowning within his own mind. He had no idea _what_ was going on, and it was written all over his face. What kind of crazy place had circumstance led him to?

"Botta! I'm leaving for now. Our plans will be ruined if he sees me," the leader in the cloak announced unexpectedly, snapping everyone's focus on him.

The tall man, Botta, offered a quizzical stare. "What of the Chosen?"

"I'll leave that to you."

"Understood."

The blue-haired man approached the exit, throwing out a final word over his shoulder. "Lloyd. The next time we meet, you're mine. Just you wait."

"Wait!" Lloyd tried to charge after him, but was blocked by the Desians. Their leader left the room before he had a chance to say anything else, though that didn't stop him from trying to breach through anyway.

Botta swung a fist, which Lloyd was able to dodge at the cost of his distance to the door. "You will not follow."

Cless unsheathed his sword, in case any of them tried to get the jump on his companion. Lloyd's fists tightly curled around the handles of his own weapons as he did so. "Dammit! You...! If Colette's here, then there's no way you're going to touch her! I'll defeat you right here! Consider it payback for all the death you caused at the temple!"

Botta chuckled. He took out a weapon of his own that looked to be a cross between an ax and a bulky broadsword. "Pretty words, but can you back them up?"

He lifted his arm, probably to use a technique, and Lloyd and Cless braced for it, swinging their blades back to parry. This proved to not be necessary, for all attacks cut off when the exit door again flung open—a group of three people running through it.

One of them, garbed in purple and a double-edged sword in hand, moved with an incredible momentum, jabbing the hilt of his blade into Botta's back. The sheer force not only shoved him across the room, it seriously did some damage. The pain in the Desian's eyes was tangible.

The man grunted quietly, eyes tapering under his messy reddish brown hair at the sights around him. The lesser Desians stepped back upon seeing his presence, and eventually decided to leave the room entirely while they had the chance. The newcomer was as intimidating as he was strong.

Lloyd, who was at a loss for words, and Cless—who was close to dying by now at how confused he was—both just stared, unsure of what to do. One surprise just had a bigger one up its sleeve. What a long day…

A child with silver hair, not all human by the looks of it, ran to the red swordsman's side. "Lloyd! Are you okay?"

"I…uh," he stammered, blinking one too many times.

A girl took to his other side, putting a hand on his arm. She was older and had long golden hair, dressed in crisp white clothing that had blue trimming. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?" she asked, worried.

Lloyd's breath caught slightly in disbelief. "Genis… Colette… What are you doing here?"

"These are friends of yours, Lloyd?" Cless inquired.

"Y-yeah! These are my best friends," the twinblade replied happily, "and Kratos."

Kratos only stood in silence.

Botta had dragged himself up by now, his muscles aching. He raised his weapon and confronted the group once more. "Perfect timing... I'll take care of everyone at once!"

He lunged at Lloyd, trying to use his dropped defense to an advantage. Cless was not in such a state of guard, countering this attack with a harsh upward swing. The metals clanged as they hit each other, the blond attempting to prepare a technique after sidestepping away. However, Botta was stronger than he anticipated and slammed him away before he could.

Lloyd growled angrily at Botta, swiping his blades across the floor and kicking up a powerful white shockwave. "Demon Fang!"

The attack hit, though didn't faze the Desian as much as he'd hoped for. Botta ran up to him, grabbing his shoulder and tossing him across the room into Cless, who had ironically just managed to get up.

Botta faced them, ready to make the damage permanent.

"Ray Thrust!"

A silver chakram sliced into his arm, it having been thrown by a hand most skilled with it. Botta bit down as he felt the wound bleed, slanting his head to see the sharp disc weapon fly back to be caught by its owner, Colette. She was frowning, calm yet determined.

"You," Botta snarled under his breath, "you will pay for that…"

Colette wasn't at all scared out of her stance, and if anything she just became more unwavering. The Desian didn't like that. Such a look offended him. He would have done something to be rid of it had he not sensed the presence of magic being cast. He tried to snuff out who was acting a mage, though was too late in prediction.

A purple spell circle flashed under Genis' feet, the boy lifting his kendama high above his head. "Lightning!"

A strong thunderbolt dropped on Botta, not the strongest spell he'd ever been hit with, but enough to send chills of pain up him. It was worse when Kratos took the opportunity to get him while his guard was down, rushing up to him and unleashing fury upon fury of quick slashes that were mostly too precise to block.

On the other side of the room, Cless and Lloyd had managed to get up and steel themselves, working through their soreness after their relentless beatings.

"Cless, let's combine our attacks," Lloyd suggested, seeing the chance for a finishing blow.

The armored warrior raised an eyebrow at him, tipping his head. "Combine them…?"

"Yeah," Lloyd smiled, the fortitude in his eyes almost raw and alive, "you and I can beat this guy, I know it. Just use an attack and trust in me!"

For some reason, Lloyd's words were oddly inspiring. Cless smiled back, his own bout of resolve settling over him as he issued a single confident nod. "I trust you, Lloyd. Let's unite our strengths."

Both swordsmen didn't even have to discuss on what technique was best. They already knew what to do, just from pure instinct. They ran on either side of Botta, who was still busy keeping up with Kratos, and rushed at each other—blades surrounding in sonic waves. The energy gained more power as they got closer to their target, the purple swordsman seeing their efforts and jumping out of the way.

"Cross…!" Cless' sword drilled through Botta, shredding one side of his armored vest as the trail of energy from his Sonic Thrust cut the air with visible energy.

"Thrust…!" Lloyd's twin swords weren't far behind in their Sonic Thrust, rocketing across the enemy in the opposite direction. The weapon carried by Botta broke apart under it, falling into two pieces out of hand. The combined techniques left an 'X' shaped current of power over the room, only fading after the powerful assault ended.

The high Desian gripped his chest and arm, both of which were bleeding severely. He stood and backed up against a far wall, shaking his head. "I…underestimated your abilities... But…do not think…this will be the last you'll see of me…"

He pressed a button indented into the wall and a hidden door slide open on his right side. He limped through it, too abruptly for anyone in the group to stop him. Even when Cless and Lloyd tried to locate the button, it was in vain. Yet another half-victory…

"Hm, what a peculiar item..."

Everyone turned to the voice, seeing it had come from a woman probably just having entered the room. She had an attire consisting of an orange cloak with fancy trimming, and her hair was silver—the same in fact as Genis'. She had taken interest in the broken weapon left by Botta, sitting on the floor abandoned.

The woman picked up a circular gem within the remains of the once proud weapon. "Isn't this a..."

"Professor!" Lloyd shouted, sinking back into his prior joy.

"Professor?" Cless repeated, sheathing his sword.

The woman looked up. "Ah, Lloyd... Genis told me what happened," she paused a moment to give the young mage a reprimanding stare, "I apologize for the trouble he's caused you."

Lloyd shook his head, putting his swords away for hopefully the last time today as well. "No. I'm the one that dragged Genis into it. I'm sorry."

"We shouldn't stay here long," Kratos cut in firmly, interrupting the conversation.

Raine stood up, putting her acquired treasure away. "Yes, you're right. I opened the escape route just before coming in…" She hedged her eyes over to Cless, her expression becoming even more serious. "What should we do about this boy here?"

The newcomers to the party all awkwardly glanced at each other, Lloyd about to speak up though Cless doing so. "I would like to go with you. Lloyd's helped me out considerably, and I have some friends I need to find," he murmured, putting as much emphasis on sincerity as possible.

Kratos decided to thwart his efforts, piercing him with a glower most foul.

"No," he said simply, "We do not know who you are, or why you were brought here... We aren't here to take in latent criminals. More to the point, you and your problems have nothing to do with us."

"It does seem rather unwise to bring along someone who Desians felt the need to keep prisoner," Raine murmured, sounding conflicted.

Lloyd's brow furrowed. "I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him! He's my friend!"

"I think he should come too," Genis added, "He doesn't seem like a bad person. I mean, if Desians are interested in him, he's probably not someone they want around."

Kratos refused to relent. "He will remain here. He is not trustworthy."

There was silence, and an awkward silence at that. It was one that got under Lloyd's skin, one he was about to break with much enjoyment.

_About_ to, anyway…

"Um... I'm going to allow him to come with us..."

Everyone's interest flooded over to Colette, who was blinking innocently as she felt her own eyes glue to the floor. Her statement, as quiet as it was, took a few of the group members by surprise, most notably Cless and Kratos. It was clear that she wasn't going to back down from her decision.

"Chosen, that is not a good idea," Kratos warned, his trademark coldness returning.

"Maybe it's not. It doesn't matter if it is," she shook her head with a soft yet assertive calm, "Helping people is my job, and he said he's looking for his friends. We can't just leave him here..."

"He could be dangerous. We shouldn't risk—"

"—Besides... If he's Lloyd's friend, he's my friend too. He's going to come with us."

Kratos couldn't find the means to argue, the young girl's resolve rendering him unable to come up with a proper rebuttal. An irritated sigh left his lips, crossing his arms. "We do not have time for this…"

"Perhaps, but it would appear the Chosen has spoken," Raine chuckled.

Colette beamed, all sternness leaving her. "Thank you, Professor, Kratos!"

Raine shrugged, still amused. Kratos said nothing.

Cless strangely couldn't manage a proper thank you. This girl was accepting him with such benevolence, defending him when he was admittedly very suspicious. Lloyd had been stricken with a wide smile the whole time she'd spoken as well. She reminded him a lot of someone else…

"Excuse me... Mister Swordsman?"

The armored warrior came out of his stupor when Colette talked to him directly, somewhat embarrassed. "It's Cless. Cless Alvein."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Cless. Thank you for helping Lloyd get out of here. I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to him," she chirped, Lloyd scratching his neck.

Cless smiled. "It wasn't a problem. He helped me out as well."

"Still, I'm very grateful!" She walked in front of him, clasping her hands and performing a small bow. "My name's Colette Brunel. Let's be friends, okay? I can already tell you're very kind."

"It's nice to meet you, Colette," Cless greeted in turn, her upbeat personality already uplifting him.

"I hope we can find your friends. Feel free to stay with us as long as you need to."

"Thank you."

Genis raised a hand, the next to seize Cless' concentration. "I'm Genis, by the way, Genis Sage. That's my sister Raine," he said, gesturing to Raine who gave a small wave.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Genis," the swordsman nodded.

Raine spoke up next, looking at Kratos. "I have a question. This crystalline object I found attached to this weapon on the ground here... Is this one of the Exspheres that Genis spoke of?"

"What exactly is an Exsphere?" the blond male asked slowly.

The healer crossed one arm, the other hand resting above her lips. "I would like to know as well..."

"It will take a while to explain," Kratos said as he started to walk, leading the way out, "We can talk about it when we reach Triet."

"Yes, I agree. Shall we save the chitchat until we're outside, children?"

"Okay, Professor!" Lloyd and Colette chimed together, Genis giving his sister a nod.

Cless, feeling out of place, tried to join in as well, tittering. "Y-yes, Raine-san…"

The teacher laughed delicately at his attempt, the armored warrior following behind her with Genis. The two were already engaged in some conversation to get to know each other, it seemed. Genis usually _was_ the most eager to learn more about anything.

"Let's go too, Lloyd," Colette suggested, hurrying along after everyone else as if it was a race to keep up.

That smiling and inviting nature was a blessing after all the toil today. Lloyd grinned as he ran after her in her little game, deciding to save any serious talking for later. "Colette, hey, wait up! Don't be so excited, you'll end up tripping!" he teased as he caught up, his friend pouting at his accusation.

The group walked through the now dormant base in peace, the exit getting closer and closer. Lloyd frowned a bit when he was able to steal a moment to himself, closing his eyes while letting out a heavy sigh.

"_Triet… When we get back to Triet, we'll figure all this out… Colette, this journey, and even Cless… There must be something we can do for him, whoever he really is…" _

* * *

**Colette joined the party.**

**Genis joined the party.**

**Kratos joined the party.**

**Raine joined the party. **

**Cless received the title of Strange Amnesia. A title given to one who seems to have no knowledge of the most obvious of information in the world. Something is certainly wrong with him...**

**Lloyd received the title of Red Kid. Red? All I am is red! C'mon! My outfit can't be that bad! You all act as if I stick out a mile away! **

**Cless received the title of Cape Lad. 'Weirdo kid in the cape'. What's with these soldiers and capes? I didn't think it made me that definable. I rather like this cape… **

**Colette received the title of Loyal Heart. Cless is kindhearted, a friend. I can just tell. And…if Lloyd says that he's a good person, I believe he is too! **

**Genis learned Lightning **

**Cless and Lloyd discovered a Unison Attack: Cross Thrust **

**Obtained Tattered Exsphere**

* * *

**Eternal Chronicles Bonus Skit 01:**** -=Hero Qualifications=-**

Cless and Lloyd: *Sigh*

Colette: Is everything alright you two...? You seem unhappy...

Cless: I suppose it's not really a huge deal... It's just, well...

Lloyd: The whole time we were in that damn place, the only thing the Desians could identify us with was our clothes!

Colette: Your clothes?

Genis: Well, you guys do dress pretty weird... I mean, look at you...

Cless: W-what's wrong with the way I look?

Lloyd: And red! Is the color red suddenly banned or something?

Genis: There's nothing _wrong_ with either of you necessarily. You guys are just dressed so stereotypically hero...

Cless: Huh?

Lloyd: That doesn't make any sense! My dad made me these clothes! They're comfortable and durable, good for the outdoors and fine indoors.

Genis: No, no, I mean... Heroes in stories I've noticed always have to wear an outfit that stands out—it's a part of their code... *Sweatdrop*

Lloyd: Genis…!

Colette: I think you both look nice. I mean, you guys _are_ really brave and strong, and heroic too! Even if your clothes are unusual, that's not a bad thing. You can pretend you're knights from fairytales who've come to protect the innocent!

Lloyd: A-ah... Really?

Colette: Yeah!

Lloyd: ...Heh. When you put it that way—

Cless: I have to disagree...

Lloyd, Colette, and Genis: Eh?

Cless: I mean, Lloyd certainly has all the qualities of a hero on the inside but...

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

Cless: ...he's lacking _one_ important aspect: a headband.

Lloyd: ...You're joking...

Cless: No, I'm quite serious. You're my friend, so I believe I should be upfront with you... Heroes must always have a headband and a sword, that's just the way it works. You can't be a real hero unless you have both.

Colette: Wow... Cless, you must abide by that hero code Genis mentioned! That's amazing!

Lloyd: C-Colette...

Genis: *Sigh* I think Cless might have hit his head harder than we first thought...


End file.
